Issue - meetings

Forward Plan Ref: 2023/247

Contact: Ryan Moore, Senior Engineer Road Agreements Team, ryan.moore@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Corporate Director Environment & Place (CMDHM9).

A decision is required on the proposed use of ANPR enforcement equipment to replace the existing bollard.

The Cabinet Member for Highway Management is RECOMMENDED to approve as advertised the use of ANPR camera enforcement at the existing bus gate located between Diamond Drive/Birch Close & Larch Drive.

The Cabinet Member for Highway Management APPROVED as advertised the use of ANPR camera enforcement at the existing bus gate located between Diamond Drive/Birch Close & Larch Drive.

The report presented responses to a consultation on a proposal to introduce ANPR camera enforcement equipment at an existing bus gate within the Great Western Park development in Didcot, replacing the current physical automatic bollard.

The Chair invited the registered speaker, Chris Macdonald-Bradley, to address the meeting. Chris Macdonald-Bradley spoke in favour of the proposal.

The Chair thanked the speaker and people who had responded to the consultation.

The Chair commented that the proposal was intended to safeguard the residential streets and people who live there. Radial routes would be used by through traffic and this would make the residential streets safer and cleaner and enable people to use alternative modes of transport should they choose to do so.

The Chair noted that paragraph 3 of the report had the word ‘gate’ missing after the word ‘bus’ and paragraph 23 of the report used the word ‘assessing instead of ‘accessing’.

The Chair referred to the response from Thames Valley Police and asked for clarity on whether the exemption applied to emergency vehicles on patrol. Officers explained that the consultation was on the proposed use of ANPR and not the traffic order itself. The Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) stated that that the exemption was for an emergency only. The Police had been consulted about the TRO at the time and were invited to contact the Council if the wording of the TRO needed changing.

In response to a concern raised in the consultation, the Chair asked if there had been any traffic modelling undertaken. Officers explained that all the modelling was done as part of the planning application and would have considered traffic movement with the bus gate restriction in place.

The Cabinet Member for Transport Management APPROVED as advertised the use of ANPR camera enforcement at the existing bus gate located between Diamond Drive/Birch Close & Larch Drive.